


to patch with gold

by jeien



Series: Oofuri Rarepair Ship Week 2015 [5]
Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: M/M, Moving On, Oofuri Rarepair Week 2015, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-07
Updated: 2015-08-07
Packaged: 2018-04-13 09:51:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4517349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeien/pseuds/jeien
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <i>“He’s moved on, you know. Mihashi, I mean. Shouldn’t you?”</i>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>Kanou struggles with the outcome of their game with Nishiura and its implications. Oda patiently waits for him to get a handle on things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	to patch with gold

**Author's Note:**

> Finally, I got to write OdaKanou!! I've been waiting for this, but not as much as I'm waiting to write HaruMiha at the end. You can also take this to be a kind of sequel for my Day 1 piece, _before he even knew_ , if you want. 
> 
> For Rarepair Week Day 5: Lost.

They lost the practice game against Nishiura and Kanou feels like he’s losing Mihashi all over again.

_At the very least_ , he thinks, _they recognize his talent for what it is_. They were all starting to move on from that abysmal junior high experience. Kanou just wishes that maybe it could have been restored to its original state: everyone together, including Mihashi, playing happily with one another and understanding each other. Kanou just couldn’t understand what Nishiura had that would make Mihashi change his mind about coming back.

“Kanou.”

He doesn’t need to look to know who called. “Oda.”

“Need another minute?” Oda may have been new to Mihoshi’s team, but he knows the type of man Kanou is when he’s at his best: reserved, self-assured, responsible. Approaching him the wrong way was certain to hurt his pride.

“I’m fine,” Kanou replies, walking out of the clubhouse.

They made it a habit to walk to the dormitories together after practice. A comfortable silence settles between them like the sticky summer heat.

“Thinking about Mihashi again?”

“Of course not,” Kanou lies. He catches Oda’s small, wry smile from the corner of his eye and knows he’s been caught—but he won’t retract his statement now. It’s still too soon to admit it. “Why do you insist on bringing this up every time we talk now?”

Oda turns his head to look down at him, knowing that Kanou won’t meet his eyes, and says, “Because if you keep spacing out like that, it’s gonna start affecting your pitching real soon.”

“My pitching will be fine.”

They live on opposite ends of the dormitory floor, up on the second level. Their conversation doesn’t continue until they were about to split up for the day. Oda watches Kanou walk towards his dorm room.

“He’s moved on, you know. Mihashi, I mean. Shouldn’t you?”

Kanou doesn’t look back and only waves goodnight.

\--

_Kintsugi. Noun. Also known as Kintsukuroi. The Japanese art of golden joinery—repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, platinum. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as a part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. The end product is supposed to result in something more beautiful than the original._

\--

“Kanou, you take art as your elective, right?”

Kanou looks up at Oda for the first time that day, surprised. He never visits him during lunch time. “Yeah, why? Didn’t do the homework?”

Oda feigns offense and takes the empty seat beside him. “I’m not like some people on our team. But I think I did it wrong. Can I see how you did it?”

Kanou reaches into his bag and pulls out the cardstock they were given the previous day. Pasted on it was a picture of Mihoshi’s junior high baseball team, ripped to shreds and placed back together with gold glitter at the tears. The symbolism was too obvious to overlook.

“Look, Kanou—”

“I’ve decided to move on,” Kanou interrupts. It shocks Oda into silence. “The next time we face Nishiura will definitely be in the Koshien, as rivals. So make sure not to slack off.”

“Huh?! Me?!” Oda was ready to slap the guy upside the head—who exactly was the one slacking off?!—but Kanou disables him with a wide grin. _Shit_ , Oda thinks, _can’t hit him with a face like that_. He gets up from his seat, thanking Kanou for his time, and makes his way back to his own classroom.

And feels something tugging on his sleeve.

He looks down at Kanou, who’s sporting the most sincere face he’s ever seen, as the pitcher quietly says, “Thanks. For a lot.”

_Goddamn this boy_. Oda sighs, “The things I put up with for you.”

“You love me anyway,” Kanou jokes. They had been learning about some American colloquialisms, if Oda remembers correctly. He had to bite down the words— _Yeah, you’re right_ —and roll his eyes instead.

“Keep dreaming.”

Kanou smiles, noticing the pause in Oda’s answer and the slight waver of his voice. Maybe moving on won’t be as hard as he thought with Oda around.


End file.
